This is not to take away from what is a very beautiful bicycle that I lusted for in the 70s with a 1st Generation Super Record Group. But these bikes were everywhere, and they obviously understated production. Every premium bike shop in Europe and North America had numerous top-end Italian bikes in stock and the start line in local criteriums from small town Australia to Vancouver Canada was full of bikes that ended with a vowel and were supposedly hand-made in some small artisanal workshop.
My google response:
"From there, annual production of stems and bars rose from 5,000 during the 1950s, to 7,500 in the 1960s and to 150,000 by 1978, while also producing more than 700 frames per year."
"By the late 1970’s, Cinelli was the principle maker of stems and handlebars, as well as the OEM supplier to virtually every bike brand, while frame-making continued to increase as well, still relying on the basic design principles of his original Speciale Corsa frame from 1947."
Last edited by Atlas Shrugged; 01-19-23 at 11:57 AM.